Apparatus and process for vulcanizing rubber coated fabric



y 5, 1932- A. A. GLIDDEN ET AL 1,350,411

APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR VULCAN IZING. RUBBER COATED FABRIC Filed Sept. 28, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 &

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5y Heir p t y 1932- A. A. GLIDDEN ET AL 1,860,411

APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR VULCANIZING RUBBER COATED FABRIC 'Filed'Sept. 28, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA I711) 6: Hi0 71s. fiyred 01% Gliddevb. ji wfizasjfjfzzowwaal travel therethrough are so regulated "that 7 When the fabric emerges from the chamber it will. bethoroughly vulcanized. V

TTheiinvention consists in an apparatus and Patented; May 31, 1932 U E TATES i-PATENT: QFJ IEEI, 1

Q'ALFREDLA; GLIDDEN; THOMAS M. KNOWLAND; Am) WARRE R. row; or wA'rER'rowN.

,LMASSACHUSETTS,' AssIeNoRs BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTSQTO' noonnuianungzcoiu PANY, 11m, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE,.AflGORPORATION"E DELAWARE.

@APIPARATUS' Am). rnocuss FOR VULCANIZING RUBBER, coArEnFABRIc V Application filed September 28, 1927; Serial No..2 2 2, 646.

This invention relates to an apparatus and process for vulcan zing rubber coated fabr1c.:.

"The'obj'ect of the invention is to provide a-n' eflicient apparatus which a continuous length of rubber coated fabric may be vulcanized by heat, and to a process of vulcanizingsaid fabric in said apparatus.

"In the apparatus of this inventiona looselywound roll of rubber coated fabric, treated with" a suitable sizing material'to prevent sticking, is .mounted between guide ways upon a fabric convey-er beltoutside a heated chamberand adjacent to one end thereof,

"belt into the chamber passing therethrough i so particularly as pointed out .in 1 the" claims to the opposite end thereof, where it is transferred to'another belttravelling in an opposite direction in said chamber, the fabric finally emerging from. the chamber at the same "end that it originally'entered. The apparatus of this invention embodies therein an eflicient heating system, preferably electrical, together with a means for maintaining a uniform temperature throughout the interior of the chamber, andtoassist in accomplishing this result a circulatory air system-is provided by means of which the w heated air within the chamber is withdrawn from the top "of the chamberand again returned thereto adjacent to the'bottom"there- 'of. The temperature of the heating chamber and-speed at which the conveyer belts process for vulcan'izing rubber coated fabric as setforth in the following specification and ilthereof. c. i l .Referring' to the: drawings j fEigur e 1. 1s 'aIsect onal elevation .of an. ap-

in-gsr .50 a

,and as the conveyer belt travels beneath the roll of fabric the latter is slowly unwound from said roll ontothe beltand is fed by the termediate portions of 2 :fis', 'Eil'l transverse. section outthe several views of the drawings.

heating means for the app'ara: i

parts through;

In the drawings,5 represents a frameupon 1 Which a casing 6 is mounted, said casing having a chamber 7 provided upon the interior thereof. Located partly: upon. the exterior:

'of the casing ,6 and partly within thechani her 7 ofsaid casing'is an endless conveyer belt 8, said beltpreferably being constructed of fabric and at its opposite" end portions extending around rolls 9 and 10, the roll being located upon the exterior of'the casing 6 adjacent to oneend "ofisaid casing, ;and;the roll 10 being located. within the chamber 7 adjacent tothe other end ofv saidcasing. In-

the conveyer belt 8 are; supported withinfthe chamber, 7 upon a plurality of rollers ll which are locatedat suitable points throughout the length ofthe chamber.

The rollZlO, which constitutes a driving.

roll for the'belt 8,"is' driven through a driv- 111g member 12 from a countershaft 13 mounted in suitable bearings on thefframe 5,

saidfcounter shaft being driven an "electric'mot'or '14, the motive power of which is transferred through driving. connection '15 ;to a speed-reducing mechanism 16 from which said power is transferred at a reduced speed through another driving connection 17 to a pulley or sprocket 18 fast to the-counter; shaft13. a

A'roll 19 of rubberized fabric 20 to bevul canized is mounted between guideways 21 above the roll 9 in such .a position that said N v V roll l9 will rest upon theconveyer belt 8 and paratus for curingirubber fabrleembodying T the friction between said belt androll will cause the fabric to unwind and befed bysaid belt into and through the chamber 7 until 1 .the.;fabric' reaching. the roll 10 will be trans .ferred fromthe belt 8 tov another ;conveyer belt 22 which is located beneath the belt 8. The belt 22-is mounted upon a pair of main rolls 23 and 24, which are located upon the exterior of the casing 6 at opposite ends thereof, and intermediate portions of said belt are supported and guided by a plurality of rollers 25 located at suitable points within the chamber 7 and a plurality'of rollers "26 which are located beneath the casing; 6.

The belt 22 is also provided with a take-up roll 27.. The belt 22 is driven through the chamber 7 in an opposite direction to that of the belt 8 by the roll 24,-which constitutes a driving roll, motion being imparted to the roll 24 by a having a gear fast thereto which meshes with and is driven by a gear 31 fast to the countershaft 13.

As the fabric 20 is transferred from the belt 8 tothe'belt 22 the positions of the upper and under surfaces of the fabric are reversed Y and the fabric is again fed the length of the ing laterally units 36 extending longitudinally of said I baflle plate. The heating units 35 and 36 may chamber 7 finally emerging from the end of the'casing through which it originally entered. Thefabric is discharged from the belt 22 at the roll- 23. 4

While passing through'the chamber 7 the fabric 20 is subjected to heat generated by a pair of electric heaters 32, one of said heaters ber 7 and the other'being located at the bottom of the chamber. Each heater 32 embodies therein a thin metal plate 33 which constitutes a baffle plate and is supported upon a plurality of brackets 34 fastto the 03, ing 6. Each bafile plate 33 extends for approximately the full length of the chamber 7 and is utilized as a support for a plurality of heating units 35 and 36, the former extendof the baflle plate 33 and the be of any suitable construct-ion well known in the art and are supported at a distance from the baffle plate 33 by bolts 37 and spacing members 38. The various heating units are all connected by suitable wires, see Fig.

3, with a main source of electric power at a switch 39. The heating system furthermore includesa plurality of thermostats 40 which may be positioned as desired within the chamber 7 and when the temperature within said compartment rises or certain predetermined limits,these thermo stats operate in a manner well known to those.

fluctuates beyond skilled in theart' to open or close the circuits to certain of the heating units.

. As an aid in maintaining the interior of the chamber 7 at a uniform temperature a means is provided for recirculating air within said chamber as follows :-Extending'lon-' gitudinally through the chamber 7 adjacent to the'top thereof and upon opposite sides thereof are 'flues 41, each of which is prosuitable driving connection 28 process of vulcaniz ng driven from a countershaft 29, the latter being located at the top of the chamare reversed.

one of which ber 7 and the other at the bottom of the chant vided with a plurality of apertures 42. In like manner another pair of flues-43 are located at the bottom of the chamber 7, said flues being provided with a plurality of apertures 44. The flues 41 and 43 are connected by pipes 45 and 46 respectively with a blower 7 which is adapted to withdraw the heated air from the chamber 7 into the lines 41 throughthe apertures 42 and discharge said heated air into said chamber through the ing the air within the chamber 7.

The general operation of the apparatus hereinbefore specifically described and the a rubber coated fabric by said apparatus is as follows :-The fabric first calendered with a vulcanizable rubber compound and treated with a suitable sizing material to prevent sticking, and loosel wound ina roll 19 is unwound from said 1 l by engagement with thebelt 20 and fed in a loose condition while restin upon said belt through the chamber 7, preferably with the rubbercoated surface facing upwards. When the fabric reaches the opposite end of the chamber 7 from which it entered, it is transferred to the belt 22 which is travelling in the opposite direction to that in which the belt 8 is travelling and the material is again fed the length of the chamber 7, being discharged therefrom at the end that it originally entered, where it is wound upon a shell not shown in the drawings. When the fabric is transferred from the belt 8 to the belt 22 the upper and under surfaces of the fabric During the interval that the fabric, remains within the chamber 7 it is subjected to heat generated. at the heaters 32,

is located at the top of the chamtions of the upper and under surfaces of said fabric and feeding the same loosely through and out of the chamber, means within e chamber to heat the air therein, and means to 76 flues 43 and apertures 44, thereby recirculat- I withdraw said heated air from the chamber 1 and return the same thereto.

,2. An apparatus for vulcanizing rubber coated fabric comprising, in combination, a. chamber, a conveyer belt to feed the fabric loosely into'and through said chamber, an-

other-belt beneath said first-named belt and travelling in an opposite direction thereto,

' said last-named belt receiving the fabric from said first-named belt and reversing'the positions of the upper and under surfaces of said fabric and feeding the same loosely through and out of the chamber, a plurality of heating units within the chamber andpositioned a uniform distance from the fabric located upon the conveyer belts, a plurality of flues within said chamber, and means to withdraw air from the chamber through certain of said fiues and return said air into said chamber through other of said flues;

3. An apparatus for vulcanizing rubber coated fabric comprising, in combination, a chamber, a conveyer belt to feed the fabric loosely into and through said chamber, another belt beneath said first-named belt and travelling in an opposite direction thereto, said last-named belt receiving the fabric from said first-named belt and reversing'the positions ofthe upper andunder surfaces of 7 said fabric and feeding the same loosely through and out of the chamber, baffle plates positioned in parallel relation to the surface of the fabric upon the conveyer belts, and a plurality of electric heating units mounted upon said baffle plates and positioned a uniform distance from the fabric located upon the conveyer belts, means to regulate the temperature within said chamber, a plurality of fines within said chamber each provided with a plurality of apertures therein, and means to withdraw the air from the chamber through the apertures of certain of said flues and returnsaid air into said chamber through the apertures of the other of said flues.

4. The process of vulcanizing rubberized sheet material which comprises heatinga gaseous vulcanizing medium within a chamber, circulating the gaseous medium throughout the chamber, and then feeding the material through the chamber and directly exposing both sides of the material to the gaseous medium within the chamber.

5. A method as defined in'claim 4 in which the opposite sides of the material are exposed in alternation to the vulcanizing medium.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set v our hands.

. ALFREDIA. GLIDDEN.

THOMAS. M. KNOWLAND. (WARREN Know; 

